Heatwave
by Mew Tohru Kun
Summary: When a heat wave descends upon the ARC team, they find it incredibly difficult to cope. However, a new development in an anomaly leads to a new discovery...and a new relationship.
1. Long, Hot Summer

**Hey! Welcome to my follow-up FanFiction. It's a new story, but there are just a couple of details, anyone might be missing. For example, my cute fluffy bunny that sneezes blue goo on people. Also, Connor and Abby are engaged. This story is about a month after what happened before, so Abby's back to her normal self. More or less. Anyway, shall we continue…Hope you enjoy! Oh and thanks to Cooper101 for helping me name my rabbit!**

It was another bright, sunny, hot day. The heat wave that had started last week had already doubled in temperature, and Captain Becker, walked around his single-bedroom house with nothing but a pair of shorts on. On his clearly visible chest, several beads of sweat dripped slowly across his perfectly formed torso. He grabbed a towel from the kitchen sink and wiped his face vigorously with it. But it was still covered in sweat. He moped around the small empty kitchen for half-an-hour, before putting his black trousers and T-shirt on, and going to work.

He got into his black Mercedes and drove slowly to the ARC. While he was driving, he had the air conditioner on full, to dry his sweat-soaked hair. However, the air-con had very little effect. He ran his fingers through his greasy fringe, to stop it from obscuring his vision.

* * *

At Abby's place, she and Connor were lying on the floor, either side of Abby's bed. She was wearing a pair of small, denim shorts that were frayed all the way around the bottom, and a blue shirt that was tied up just below her chest. It had no arms, just two small straps that joined at the back of Abby's neck. Connor was still wearing the same underpants that he was wearing last night. They were both completely crashed out from the unbearable heat. Neither of them could gather any strength to go to work. It wasn't until a very exasperated Jess rang them, and urged them to get there before Lester found out, as he was already in a bad mood from the heat.

At the ARC, the air-con had been kicked up all the way, but still everybody was sweating as if there was no tomorrow. Even the animals were feeling the heat. In the menagerie, Abby's chocolate-coloured, fluffy, flying rabbit was lying helplessly on the table, breathing heavily. It's tongue was hanging lazily out of it's mouth. Beside it lay the similarly lifeless body of Rex, Abby's other 'anomaly-pet'.

The humans inside the building weren't very motivated either. Jess sat in her computer chair, vegetating. She absentmindedly typed random keys on the keyboard. She only stopped when she nearly sent a virus out to the other ARC computers. She carefully got up and walked over to the drinks machine to get a coke and a caffeine boost.

Suddenly, the red lights flashed along all the walls, turning them to blood, and the siren began to wail frantically. Abby, Connor, Becker and Matt assembled in the main room to find an empty chair where Jess should be.

"Jess, where are you? The siren's going and you're not here…" Becker told his earpiece.

Jess hurriedly slurped the last mouthful of her diet coke and joined the others in the main room. Her face was a flushed red. She stumbled over to her chair and sat down carelessly on a pen she had left lying around. She jumped up again immediately.

"Ow!" She squealed.

She met Becker's odd glance, before turning to look at the floor. Becker chuckled to himself quietly. Meanwhile, Connor had positioned himself at the desk to identify where the anomaly was.

"Looks like it's about 5 miles North of London." Connor told them. "We should set off now to prevent any chance of an incursion."

"We should be so lucky!" Abby scoffed.

She wiped away the sweat from her forehead, before seizing Connor's hand and walking off to the vehicle bays.


	2. Cave In

**Chapter 2! Hope you enjoy…**

The familiar glittering glow of the anomaly shone throughout the trees, but Connor, Abby, Becker and Matt were still stunned by it's beauty. As the team locked the anomaly and searched the area around them for any sign of creature activities, Becker found something he hadn't expected to see.

In a small cave behind a group of collapsed trees, a small figure was lying limply in the darkness. As Becker drew closer he could see a girl of about no more than fifteen, she had short, chestnut-brown hair that came down to the bottom of her neck. Her chest was rising up and down rapidly. He could hear her heavy, rapid breathing. She was clearly in a lot of pain, and as Becker walked towards her, he could see why.

The girl had a very large bite mark on her right leg which was bleeding quite severely. Becker's eyes widened at the sight of all the blood. He suddenly felt a lump rise in his throat, and the next thing he knew he had wheeled around to violently throw up on the dry forest floor. When he had finished repeating his breakfast, he ran back to find Abby, Connor and Matt. But when he found them, he discovered that he couldn't talk, partly because he was out-of-breath from running in the intense heat, and partly because he couldn't find his voice.

He was panting furiously, and Abby could tell that something was wrong. She could see something in his pale face. His eyes were fixed and dark. She reached out to Becker's shoulder to sit him down to reassure him. But he just shook her hand off. He staggered backwards the way he came, and signalled for Abby to follow him. When they all arrived at the cave, Becker wasn't the only one who had thrown up at the sight…

Connor was violently choking behind a tree. Matt and Becker had to turn away, to prevent any further violent vomiting. Abby, however, had an iron stomach, and climbed over the trees to help the girl. The girl was writhing in pain. Abby tried to help stop the bleeding, but the girl kept moving underneath her hands. She ushered Becker over to help her. He was still very pale from looking at the wound, just like everybody else, but he was the best one for the job.

He had already cleared out his system.

He slowly approached the near-death girl. Her eyes slowly flickered open as Becker leant down to see her face. She had bright green, marbled eyes, with hints of yellow surrounding the pupil, like a sunflower. Her lips were turning an arctic blue. Her face was as white as snow. Her eyes shifted lazily to look at Becker, and she began to open her mouth to speak.

"Help me," she whispered.

Becker reached out to hold one of her ice-cold hands. He saw the need in her eyes. She needed him. She needed him just like Abby, Connor, Danny and Sarah had. But Becker knew this time he couldn't fail.

"What's you're name?" He asked the girl.

"Tori." She spluttered.

"Tori, huh? That's a cute name. I guess its short for Victoria." He paused. "Do you know what did this to you?" He asked her.

That's when her face fell. But not because of Becker's question. It was because of what she saw on the ceiling of the cave above her.

A predator.

She raised one finger and pointed it upwards.

Becker looked up and saw the familiar grey future-monster. It opened it's mouth wide to show all it's teeth, saliva dripping down onto him. Becker loaded his gun and aimed at the ceiling. Except when he went to shoot, the monster had disappeared. He waved some of his men over to join him. He then whispered into his earpiece.

"Red alert, we've got a future predator. Secure the area." He ordered.

The forest was almost silent. The only sound was the birds flying around the edge of the forest, almost like they knew. Becker stood next to the girl, his back to the forest. He flicked on his light to search the cave for the predator. He walked slightly further into the cave's body, but before he could reach the end, he was knocked over from behind. The predator was in the cave still. Without thinking, Becker open fired on the ceiling. It started to rumble slightly. Cracks began to form on the ceiling and continue down the walls. Becker's eyes opened wide. He ran back towards Abby and the girl before the ceiling collapsed and trapped him. He could here the creature's panting behind him. Large rocks began to fall in quick succession. He was almost knocked out by one that just missed his head, and dislocated his shoulder. He screamed out in pain and fell to the floor.

The predator was gaining on him. If Becker didn't move he would be dead in a matter of seconds. The roof of the cave began to fall more. A piece of earth the size of a Mini Cooper fell just behind Becker, accompanied by the rest of the cave, separating him from the monster, which was being predominately crushed.


	3. Call Me When You Are Sober

**Hey guys! Hope you're enjoying it so far. I've noticed the first two chapters are actually song names, so I might continue with that idea.**

Becker stumbled to his feet. Abby offered him a hot, sweaty, sticky hand, but he declined. He staggered over to the girl, Tori. She was even paler than before. Her lips were completely blue. Becker could see that he was needed. He did the first thing that came into his head. He whipped off his shirt and covered Tori with it, in an attempt to keep her warm.

It didn't work very well though, so he ran to the car to find a blanket. Thankfully, he always kept one on the back seat. In the distance he could here the siren of the ambulance (Matt had called for) getting closer. He hurried back to let Abby know. When Tori started to get warmer under the blanket, she smiled weakly at Becker. That was the moment Becker became tied to her.

Becker paced the hospital waiting room several times before Matt 'convinced' him to sit down, or as he phrased it "a direct order". A few hours later, a nurse came through to meet Becker and notify him and the others that they could see Tori for a while.

"She's awake, but a little confused. She's been given a lot of morphine, so she'll be rather light-headed for a bit. We'll move her up to the ward soon."

But before the nurse could leave, Becker grabbed her bony arm. Her muddy-brown eyes widened at his tight grasp. She wrenched her arm away swiftly, before meeting his intense gaze.

"Can you arrange a private room for her?" He pleaded. He could sense the nurse's stubbornness, she wasn't going to budge. "Please?" He persisted. His eyes grew desperate and the nurse could see it. She finally wavered.

"Ok, fine! I'll see what I can do!" She snapped.

* * *

In the Resuscitation Unit, Tori lay still with her eyes half open. She was staring at the bright ceiling light, trying to focus the image. But it was just a white blur with no particular shape. After a minute she gave up and closed her eyes. Words and fragments of images, memories, drifted into her mind. Some were more frightful than others. Suddenly the predator was coming towards her. It's teeth were bared, posture poised, ready to strike. Ready to taste flesh.

She gasped, flinching wide awake. She tried to move her head but found it too heavy. She felt a hand stroke her hair, and the familiar soft voice of the man in the cave was back.

"Hey, hey! It's ok. I'm here, so relax." He reassured her.

She couldn't completely see his face. It was there, but the edges were undefined. She felt safer somehow, with him there. But she didn't even know his name.

"Who are you anyway?" She queried him. She could tell her words were slurred, as if she was drunk.

He laughed at this. "My name is Captain Becker. I'm a member of the Anomaly Research Centre. I help deal with the anomalies, like the one where that creature came out of."

"Oh!" She half-heartedly gasped. "You mean the mirrors?"

"Sorry, what? Why do you call them mirrors?" He queried.

"Because that's what they look like. Like broken mirrors. And also when I was little I used to think if you went through a real mirror, it was like another dimension in there. Like an alternate reality. And…" She broke off.

"And what?" He pressed.

But she wouldn't answer him. She turned over so her back was to him. Becker knew it was time to leave her to it. So he Abby, Matt and Connor returned to the ARC.


	4. Crossfire

**Chapter 4! Hope you're enjoying it so far!**

Becker sat in the armoury single-handedly polishing one of his guns, as his arm was in a sling as a result from the cave in. He didn't notice it was so shiny, you could see your face in it already. He also didn't notice when Matt entered and stood in front of him for a good minute. Matt clapped his hands right in front of Becker's face. Becker abruptly dropped the gun and looked up at Matt's concerned expression. Matt proceeded to frown at Becker's sullen face.

"Even _I_ haven't seen you this emotionless." He joked. "Look, I might have an interesting proposition for you… That girl from the forest-"

"Tori!" Becker growled.

"Yeah. Anyway, she's coming to the ARC as soon as she's ready to travel."

Becker's face was gobsmacked. His eyes were sparkling with tears. He stood up and placed his muscular hand that wasn't in the sling on Matt's shoulder.

"When does she get here?" Becker's voice was filled with urgency but he couldn't explain why. Ever since the incident in the forest he couldn't get her out of his mind. Also, he knew there was something different about her after the conversation in the hospital. But why did she stop talking? Had he said something to upset her? But what was most suspicious, was that she was being brought here. Why?

"She should be ready to leave in about an hour. But she needs someone to pick her up." Matt answered. "I thought you might be suitable for the job."

Before Matt could walk away, Becker grabbed his arm tightly. He asked the most important question in his mind.

"Why here? What does Lester want with her?" Becker's voice was filled with fury.

"Not Lester, me." Matt answered. He then turned out the armoury, leaving Becker to ponder.

* * *

Becker escorted a barely mobile Tori out of the hospital, and strapped her into the front passenger's seat of his black Mercedes. He climbed into the driver's seat and pulled away from the hospital.

"You ok?" He asked her, desperately trying to start a conversation.

But she had already fallen asleep in the car. Some of her hair had fallen in front of her eyes, so Becker tucked it back behind her ear. He smiled at her, his eyes compassionate. When they arrived at the ARC, he undid her seatbelt and lifted her out of the car. She opened her eyes slightly, but closed them straight away again. He set her down in the medical room to sleep. Matt slowly entered the room and stared blankly at Tori. Becker stared at him cautiously.

"Don't worry Becker we won't do anything to her, we just want to find out what she knows." He paused to look at Becker before continuing. "We also need to sort out someone to take care of her."

"Why can't I do that?" Becker queried him. "I can take her in. I mean, until we can find her parents."

"That's just it. Her parents were found dead nine years ago, that was when she was reported missing, presumed dead."

"WHAT?" Becker yelled.

"Calm down, Becker. I did some digging, she's been missing for nine years, but she's only aged two, nearly three, since she went missing. So I need to find out what she knows. She may have to stay here permanently, though, because she can't go straight back into society. She's a fifteen-year-old, who's meant to be twenty-two."

Becker was furious at Matt. Why wasn't he told sooner? But then Becker went through it all in his mind. It fitted perfectly.

"That's fine then. I can take care of her. She can live with me, and I can bring her into work with me." Becker's mouth formed a very devilish smile.

Matt turned around and began to walk out the door. "I'll let Lester know that you're in."

Becker looked at the doorway in disbelief. His head started spinning slightly so he sat down at the end of the bed. He looked at the peaceful sleeping girl, and found it incredibly cute. Until she started tossing and turning in her sleep…


	5. Fix You

**Chapter 5! I think this might go on for a long time-I have so many ideas! **

Becker jumped as Tori fell out of the bed. But she still didn't wake up.

"HELP!" Becker screamed.

Two doctors came through right away to help Becker get Tori back into the bed. She was shaking all over; still asleep. Becker put his hand on her shoulder and whispered in her ear.

"Wake up, please. Just wake up." He was really worried now.

A few minutes later she started screaming and finally woke up. She was breathing rapidly, not taking any breath. She had both arms clutched around Becker to steady herself. She sobbed between gasps for air. Becker curved his arm round her face to try and calm her down. After a minute, her breathing had almost returned to normal and she leant her head forward into Becker's chest. She then began to cry uncontrollably into his T-shirt. Becker put his left arm round her back and grasped the back of her left shoulder to pull her close.

"What it is?" He asked her soothingly.

"I-I…" She couldn't find the words. "I was just dreaming again…"

"What about? It's alright, you can tell me."

"Well, it was a memory. The last mirror I was in. It was the future. It's terrible there. Humans live below the surface, and everyone has reverted back to cavemen almost. They-They're savages! But I had to stay there to survive. And some of the-some of the men….they…" She began crying even more. But Becker could make an educated guess…

"Did they do anything to you?" Becker asked, dreading the answer.

She didn't say a word, but she let out a terrible wail, which was enough. Becker began to cry with her. He couldn't help it; he just wanted to protect her.

"It's ok now; I promise you won't ever have to go through anything like that again. I'm here for you, you'll never be alone again." He told her.

* * *

It was nearing six o' clock and Becker was just about to go home. He was in the locker room getting changed into a tank-top and shorts, when Matt came up behind him.

"What was going on earlier? I saw her crying. And I think the whole building heard her scream. And also, _Captain_ were you crying? Yes, I saw the whole thing."

"I don't see what business it is of yours." Becker responded coolly.

"Don't be like that Becker. I'm just here to find out if I can start interviewing her soon. That's all."

"About where she's been? Well she's told me, I hope that's enough. I don't want her going through that again!" Becker snapped at him.

"Going through what?" Matt asked him. Matt could tell something was wrong.

"It-it doesn't matter." Becker slammed his locker shut and turned away.

"Well haven't you become the mature father recently? I know, Becker, she was in the future wasn't she?" Matt challenged him.

Becker walked back to face him and stared fiercely in his eyes. "I hope for your sake that's all you know."

Becker stormed out of the locker room, leaving Matt to think about the conversation they had just had.

* * *

Becker unlocked the door and brought Tori inside his small house.

"It might not be very big, but if you want it, it's yours." Becker told her.

She smiled at him gleefully. He put his arm round her shoulder and gave her a very short tour.

"This is the living room, it's small, but it's got HD TV and a DVD player. The kitchen has a fridge and an oven. There's a bathroom upstairs and a bedroom. The bedroom's all yours, just excuse the mess."

"But, where will you sleep?" Tori asked him.

"Don't worry about that. I usually sleep on the sofa anyway."


	6. I'd Come For You

**Chapter 6, enjoy! Sorry about my choice of film, but I love Japanese horror movies.**

"Can I take a quick shower?" Tori asked him.

Becker looked at her with a compassionate smile. "You don't need to ask. Take as long as you want. I'll order some dinner, Chinese food alright?"

She paused to think. "Ummm, probably." She answered him.

"Sure thing." He winked at her, which made her blush.

* * *

They sat together on the leather sofa eating a Chicken Chow Mein. Becker had flicked on the TV and, for once, the sky box, and Tori was casually browsing through the channels trying to find something to watch. She paused on the horror channel and read the description of the film they were showing, called 'Ju-On'.

'Popular Japanese horror movie about a cursed house. Suitable for age 15+.'

She pressed the select button to put it on. It was halfway through, and the scene that was on made Becker stop eating. On the screen, a dead woman covered in blood was climbing on all fours down the stairs. Becker dropped his chopsticks and stared at Tori, who wasn't phased by it all. He stared at her, mouth wide open, for a minute before she said something.

"You'll catch flies like that." She told him.

He closed his mouth and looked down at his dinner. He then decided he wasn't very hungry and gave the rest to Tori.

"How can you watch this?" He asked her. He was severely concerned with her mental health at this point. She didn't scream, shriek or make any sound or movement at all. Normal people at least flinch at some of these scenes. Like when the girl with her bottom jaw missing was on the screen. Becker nearly bolted the room. But Tori just watched and continued eating.

"I dunno. It's just not that creepy." She told him. "If you wanna watch something else, I don't mind. I might go to bed."

She put the rest of the food on the kitchen worktop (where she could find space), and went upstairs slowly to find the bedroom Becker had mentioned.

* * *

Half-an-hour later, Becker was watching an old episode of 'Mock the Week'. But he got so bored that he decided to get ready for bed. He went upstairs to have a quick wash, but on the way up, he could hear his bed creaking quite badly. He opened his bedroom door, and sure enough, Tori was tossing and turning again. Becker climbed onto the bed beside her and began slowly stroking her left cheek to calm her down.

"It's alright. I'm here." He whispered. "Don't worry, nothing's going to hurt you."

She stopped at the sound of Becker's voice. She turned over to face him. He tried to pull his hand away, but she reached up to hold on.

"Please stay. Don't go." She begged him.

Becker couldn't say no, so he settled himself better on top of the duvet. "I won't go anywhere. I promised you, didn't I?"

She buried her head in his chest again, and fell asleep. Becker put his good arm around her and fell asleep with her.


	7. Bones

**Hey guys, hope you're enjoying it so far. If I was Tori, which I kinda am (she's based loosely on me. Short brown hair, green eyes-which I might not have mentioned-and 15 nearly 16) I would be in heaven. I mean sleeping in the same bed as Captain Becker. That would be so freaking EPIC!**

At six o'clock in the morning, Becker slowly got off the bed to change his clothes. He was incredibly hot and sweaty as he slept in his work clothes last night. He went to find another pair of black combats and a black T-shirt out of the cupboard. He decided to give up on the sling and go downstairs and prepare toast and orange juice for two. He gulped down his breakfast and took Tori's up to her. When he slipped inside the room, she was sitting up, but not very awake. It took Becker several attempts to get her to notice breakfast. She slowly chewed her toast and drank half of her orange juice. She got out of bed and had a quick wash.

"What are we doing then today?" She asked him.

"Well, first I thought we'd take you to my friend Abby's. She was the girl with us in the forest. Do you remember?"

"Ummm," She pondered. "'Fraid not. Sorry."

"Don't worry about it. But we'll go there and see if she's got any clothes she can lend you. Then I'll take you to work with me, and we can have a walk around. I'll even ask Abby to show you some of our less dangerous creatures. Does that sound good?"

"Yep!" She jumped up with excitement. As soon as she touched the ground again, she clutched her stomach and ran to the bathroom. She slammed the door shut, and Becker heard a retching noise, which made him cringe.

"Are you ok?" He asked her worriedly.

It took her a minute to respond, but when she did she came out of the toilet looking rather pale. He pulled her into a hug with both of her hands. He rested his chin on her head.

"We can stay here if you want." He told her.

"Don't worry, I'm fine now." She wrapped her arms around Becker and hugged him back.

* * *

Abby was taken aback when her doorbell rang at eight o'clock in the morning. 'What psycho was calling at this time?' But of course her question was answered by the cheeky grin on Captain Becker's face when she opened the door.

Reluctantly, she let him in and pulled on a pair of shorts over the top of her panties.

"What do you want Becker?" She asked him tiredly.

He led Tori inside and pulled her in front of him. "I was wondering if you had any clothes that you could lend this little lady here."

Tori frowned at Becker for calling her 'this little lady'. "I'm fifteen!" She corrected him.

Abby laughed at them both. She went upstairs to her bedroom, which was clearly visible. Connor's snoring in it was also clearly audible. Abby returned with a small bundle of clothes to replace Tori's tattered and ripped items.

"Becker, go upstairs or something, while we try these on." She ordered him. He walked downstairs to the exit and sat at the bottom, out of view. Abby handed Tori a T-shirt to try on. Tori took off her tattered, old shirt and showed a set of clearly visible ribs to Abby accidentally. Abby gasped. 'She looks like she's just come out of the holocaust,' Abby thought. Becker heard Abby's sharp twist and craned his neck upwards to face the banister at the top of the stairs. "Is everything ok?" He called. Abby composed herself to reply calmly. "Fine."

When Tori had put on the T-shirt and leggings, Abby frowned. The clothes showed how skinny she was, so Abby rummaged into the pile and pulled out a red and black chequered mini-skirt and a black hoodie that was quite baggy. When Tori had finished putting them on, Abby stood back to look at the masterpiece she had just created. She then walked to the top of the stairs to call Becker up. Becker leaped up the stairs, and when he saw Tori he froze in his tracks.

"Wow. You look…cute." He told her. She blushed at Becker's comment. Abby smiled at them both. She could see how close they were already.


	8. Hurricane

**Finally adding my rabbit in! Enjoy!**

At the ARC, Tori wandered around in awe. This is the first time she had truly seen the ARC. It was massive. All the walls were crystal white, and the rooms were crowded with high-tech computers, especially in the main body of the ARC. Jess, who sat at the half-a-dozen computer monitors, skipped over to meet Becker and Tori. She had a wide smile on her face.

"Hi! You must be Tori, I've heard all about you!" Jess was so excited, her words were rushed.

Tori felt slightly intimidated by Jess. What did she mean by 'I've heard all about you'? Had Becker told anyone anything? No, he wouldn't. He promised.

"Uh, hi." Tori responded shyly. Becker laughed at Tori's quiet, withdrawn tone.

"Don't worry, Jess might be mental, but she won't rip your head off. Not like Matt." Becker thought for a minute. "In fact, will you do me a favour? I want you to stay away from three people in this building." He paused again. "Jess can you get staff pictures on your computer?"

"Of course!" She bounced up and down with joy. She skipped back to the computer. "Who do you want?"

"Ok Matt, Philip and Lester." Jess pulled up their pictures on the monitors. "Tori, I want you to try and stay away from these people for now. If they ask you to go with them to talk at all, just stay put and wait for me, Abby, Connor or Jess."

"Ok Becker, I will." She told him. She slowly put her hand into his, and he squeezed it tight.

"Come on, I'll show you the menagerie." They began to walk off to the wide corridor.

"Becker, wait!" Jess called. "Tori might want this if she needs to go into any of the rooms by herself." Jess handed him a silver strip. Tori looked at the thin silver strip in wonder.

"Wow, Jess! That was fast." Becker was impressed at Jess's efficiency. He flicked the silver strip onto Tori's wrist and it automatically formed a bracelet. She stared at it, mesmerised.

"It was nothing Becker. I knew it had to be done sooner or later." She told him.

He smiled at her and took Tori off to meet Abby in the menagerie.

* * *

It was feeding time in the menagerie. Rex was chomping happily on a bowl of cabbage leaves. Abby brought Tori and Becker through to the menagerie. Tori gasped. It was so pretty. All the plants grew high, with bright pink and orange flowers. There were also flowers the colour of the sun. She saw the bright green winged-lizard in the corner chewing his food. She also saw the chocolate-coloured flying rabbit.

"Is that…Coco?" She asked.

Abby and Becker were both completely lost. "Who?" They asked.

"That rabbit. It looks exactly like the one I met in the future. It followed me around for a few days, but then it disappeared. I couldn't find it after that. But it had dark brown eyes like that one."

She slowly walked over to the rabbit, at first the rabbit backed away slowly and began shuddering, ready to sneeze. Tori held out her hand and the rabbit sniffed it. The rabbit jumped up onto Tori's shoulder and began to squeak with excitement. The rabbit began nibbling at her ear. Tori tried to brush it away, but it wouldn't budge. Becker seized the rabbit up and it began squirming in his hands. It quivered and sneezed all over him, and slightly on Tori's right arm. Becker dropped the rabbit and it ran over to Abby. Becker wiped the blue goo out of his eyes and slowly walked out the room.

"Will he be ok?" Tori asked Abby.

"I'm sure he'll be fine, that's not the first time he got covered in it." Abby stated.

"Yeah, but didn't he get a reaction last time?" Tori asked.

Abby was highly confused. "What do you mean?"

Tori showed Abby her hand, which had been caught in the sneeze. She wiped the blue goo off to reveal a bright red mark on her skin.


	9. Unintended

**Chapter 9, enjoy!**

Abby stared at the red mark that had been left on Tori's hand.

"But, how? That never happened to any of us…" Abby was incredibly confused. "Does it hurt?"

Tori stared at Abby. Why was she the only one affected? "It's a bit itchy, that's all."

Abby started to panic. She had no idea what to do. The mark was reaching brighter shades of red each second. It was almost like a burn mark.

"Ok, we'll go to the locker room and run it under a cold tap." Abby walked Tori out of the room.

"Abby, its fine, don't worry. It'll be fine again in a day or two." Tori tried to calm Abby down.

"No. I'm gonna do this by the book-if it was in the book…" Abby lost her way a bit…

* * *

Abby and Tori collided with Becker in the locker room.

"Is everything alright?" Becker asked. He was very suspicious. Then he saw Tori's bright red hand. "What happened?" He demanded.

Abby was shaking slightly. "I think she's allergic to the rabbit sneeze." Abby told him.

Becker took Tori over to the sinks and ran the cold tap on full. He shoved her hand under it, which made her shudder.

"Look, it's fine. You're overreacting." She tried to calm Becker down.

"OVERREACTING?" He shouted. "I wouldn't be overreacting if you had been careful in the first place! You said you'd been with that animal before, so why didn't you think to tell us?"

"Because it's not that bad. It doesn't hurt, just a little itchy; it'll be alright in a couple of days." She started crying. "I'm sorry!"

Becker's face softened. He felt a large twinge of guilt immediately. Tori walked over to sit on one of the large benches. She had her back to Abby and Becker and she had her head in her lap. Becker sat down next to her and placed his hand on her back.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you." Becker apologised.

"It's ok." She said. She laid down, resting her head in Becker's lap. Abby left them to it, and disappeared back to the menagerie.

* * *

Becker and Tori had been in the locker room for a couple of hours. For the whole time, Tori had her head in Becker's lap and he was stroking it repeatedly. They didn't talk, they just sat there. They didn't even notice they were gathering an audience. Abby and Connor were whispering outside the locker room.

"They've been like that for almost two hours now." Abby told him.

"What on earth happened?" Connor asked.

"They had a small argument. It wasn't even that really."

"Well, well, well. What's going on here then?" A familiar Irish voice sounded behind them.

"Urgh, nothing." Abby and Connor walked off quickly.

Becker heard Matt's voice and told Tori to hide in one of the toilet cubicles. Matt stalked in and stood behind Becker.

"Where is she?" Matt asked him coolly.

Becker wasn't going to give anything away. "I dunno, I left her with Abby."

"C'mon Becker, don't bother. I know she's in here."

"Well you know more than me then." Becker told him.

"Fine then. But I will talk to her. One way or another." Matt threatened.


	10. Undisclosed Desires

**Chapter 10 I know this is quite long, but I just hope it's still interesting. **

At Becker's house Becker and Tori were curled up together on the sofa. Tori had her head rested against his shoulder and Becker rested his head on top of her head. Becker had a box of chocolates on his lap, and they were picking them out one at a time. Becker went through the events of the past few days in his head. Tori was going through how this time was different to anywhere else she had been before.

"You know, I've just realised…what's the date?" Tori asked Becker.

He swallowed his mouthful to answer. "12th February. Why?"

"I was just wondering how close to my birthday it is now…" She told him. "It's closer than I thought. Just over a month."

"Really, when is it?" Becker asked curiously. 'I should probably get her a present,' he thought.

"20th March." She replied. She looked up at Becker to see his face. He gave her a cocky smile.

"I better get shopping then." He pulled her tight and picked up another chocolate.

* * *

The next day passed quickly without fault. For most of the time they both stayed at home. The only time they left was to do some food shopping, as Becker's fridge was looking incredibly bare. In the supermarket, Becker left Tori at the check-out while he started to ferry the bags to the car. But on the way, he popped to the newsagent's next door, to buy a big box of chocolates. He ran back to the supermarket quickly, so that Tori wasn't suspicious.

They chose to have an early night, so both Becker and Tori went upstairs. It had become a regular thing, both of them sleeping in the same bed. Becker knew that part of it was morally wrong, but if it would help her to stop having the nightmares and to stop her hurting, he would continue to do it. He knew the way he felt about her was wrong as well, but he couldn't help himself. In his eyes, she was so beautiful. Everything about her was perfect. How she looked, how she talked, how she smelled and even how she felt. Whenever he touched her, he felt this impulsive surge run through his body and he didn't want to let go, for fear of losing her.

* * *

In the morning of the 14th, Becker woke up bright and early, like he normally did. He had a shower, put on his work clothes and prepared Tori a special breakfast. He cooked her a full-English breakfast and assembled it in the shape of a heart on her plate, along with it he put a Valentine's card. He took it upstairs and rested it on the floor until she woke up, which took longer than usual.

It was getting closer to the time for Becker to leave for work, and Tori still hadn't woken up, so he softly went over to the bed and whispered in her ear.

"Wakey, wakey sleepy-head."

Tori's eyes opened slightly. She tried to focus on the smooth features of Becker's face, but she found that she couldn't. "Becker?" She asked. Her head was spinning slightly and she couldn't tell exactly where she was.

"Hey, sleepy, you ok?" Becker's voice was so soothing to her. She knew he was there, so she felt so much safer.

"Umm, I think so." She answered. Her voice croaked. Becker sat down next to her and brought the tray across.

"I brought you breakfast, but if you're not feeling well, I'll leave it aside." Becker placed his arm round her waist to help lift her to a sitting position.

"I was fine last night, though." She croaked.

"Don't worry." He thought for a moment. "I can't not go to work, so I will have to take you with me. Can you handle that? I'll stay with you the whole time." Becker asked her. He was rather worried. How could she be so ill so suddenly?

"Ok. I'll be alright." Tori smiled at the handsome blur.

"Anyway, happy Valentine's Day." He handed her the card and the present.

She managed to tear the paper from the box, but she couldn't tell what it was. "I'm sorry, but what is it?"

Becker frowned. How bad was she? "It's a box of chocolates. Oh, and the card says 'Happy Valentine's Day'."

* * *

Becker helped her get dressed in another outfit that Abby had assembled. Tori couldn't concentrate on anything at all. She tried to put her socks on, but she missed her foot by and inch. Afterwards, Becker helped her into the car and strapped her seatbelt for her. He drove to the ARC slowly, so he could make sure she wasn't getting any worse. As soon as they arrived, Becker got her into the medical room as soon as possible, without being spotted by Matt. One of the doctors came in to see what was wrong.

"I see our frequent flyer's back." He joked. "What seems to be the problem?"

"She woke up this morning ill. I don't know why…" Becker stared down at his feet.

"It's probably just the extreme heat. You don't look too well yourself lately, Captain. Not sleeping enough? Or worrying too much, perhaps?"

"I don't know." Becker shook his head. "I guess maybe I do worry. I don't know why."

"I'll strike you a deal then, I'll see if I can treat her, but you have to stay here and rest too. Fair?" The doctor asked him.

Becker thought about it. It gave him the perfect excuse to look after her and to stay away from Matt, which coincidentally were two closely related matters. The last thing he wanted was a confrontation between her and Matt. "Ok, deal."


	11. Feeling This

**Woooo! Chapter 11. **

"Becker," Tori croaked. "Thank you. For everything." Then she lay back in the bed, and closed her eyes tight.

Becker brushed her hair away from her face, and kissed the top of her head. He sat down on the bed next to her and watched her sleep. An hour later, the doctor came back to check her over.

"Has she had an allergic reaction to anything recently?" He asked Becker. Becker frowned, she had an encounter with that rabbit-thing a couple of days ago, but she was alright…

"Well, yeah as a matter of fact. A couple of days ago, I got sneezed on by Abby's new pet and Tori got a little bit on her hand. But she was fine then. What could happen in the space of a day?"

The doctor pondered over this for a while. "Well, perhaps the extreme heat we're dealing with could be a factor, because a heat wave in February isn't exactly normal, is it?"

"Yeah, maybe." Becker was unsure. He just wanted her to be alright again.

"I hear Connor thinks the heat wave is connected to the anomalies."

Becker sighed and grabbed hold of Tori's hand. He stroked her fingers with his own. He put his other hand to her forehead. It was white hot. Becker started sobbing; he wiped his eyes with his hand.

"Captain, she'll be fine. I wouldn't worry about it too much. She just needs some rest." The doctor reassured him.

Matt entered the room after hearing the conversation that had just happened. "So she'll be ready to talk to soon?" He asked.

Becker glared at Matt furiously. "What do you want?" He stood at the end of the bed, blocking Tori from view.

Matt stepped back defensively. "Nothing. Not yet anyway. I was just looking for you. You've been avoiding us all lately."

Becker continued to stare at Matt. A minute passed in complete silence before Matt continued to speak.

"I don't know what your beef is Becker, but can you take out your frustrations out on somebody else. I just want to talk to her."

"But I've already told you everything. You know as much as anyone else." Becker told him. "I've had enough and she's had enough too."

"But that's not true, is it Becker? I know you're hiding something." Matt challenged him.

Tori started to stir in the bed. She slowly sat up and pulled the covers back. "Becker? What's going on?" She rubbed her eyes, to try and focus on the two figures in front of her. Her eyes focused and she could see Becker and one of the men he had warned her to stay away from.

"Nothing you need to worry about." Becker's face was stern.

Matt looked past Becker to see Tori properly. "Hi there." His mouth formed an emotionless smile.

"Leave her alone!" Becker growled. He went to stand next to Tori. She looked up at him nervously. She seized his hand in panic and squeezed it hard. Becker turned his head to look at Tori, who was almost crying with fear.

"Becker, stop!" She cried. Becker's face dropped. He stared into her eyes and squeezed her hand back.

"I'm sorry. What is it you want to ask her, Matt?" Becker softened up at that point.

"I just want to know what happened in the future. That's all."

"Not a lot." She said vaguely. "Just loads of creatures, and not very many humans, and they're living underground. That's all."

"No. I don't think so. Something happened, didn't it? There's something different about you. So tell me!" He demanded.

Becker pushed him in the chest. "Back off!"


	12. Mr Brightside

**Chapter 12! I hope everybody's still interested. I wish this could get turned into a real episode though…That would be quite epic! Also, forgive the title, but I had to use it somewhere...I just love this song soooo much.**

"Becker!" Matt warned. "I wouldn't do this, if I were you!"

"You wanna know what happened? You really wanna know? Well fine, I'll tell you!" Becker was shouting at Matt hysterically. "She got raped, ok? Is that what you wanted to hear?"

Tori started screaming. She was clutching her hair manically. Becker put his arms round her to calm her down. His voice grew quiet. "I hope you're happy now." He muttered.

Matt stumbled backwards. "I'm sorry. I didn't realise…I thought-"

Becker cut him off. "You thought wrong. I think you should leave us alone."

Matt backed out the door and left with the image of Tori curled up in Becker's lap in his mind. He knew that Becker was going to hate him forever. But he was so sure that there was something special about her, and that maybe she knew something that might help him.

* * *

At five o'clock, Becker and Tori finally went home, but while they exited the building, they couldn't escape the glares. Word had got out, and Becker felt like crushing Matt's head. At the house, they were curled up on the sofa again with the box of Valentine's chocolates. They were watching a movie on the 32" TV. They had stopped by the movie rental shop on the way home. Tori had originally wanted to pick out a horror movie, but Becker wasn't inclined to let her. So they settled for the next best thing. 'Scary Movie'. They laughed together, for about every ten seconds. During the middle of the film, they laughed so hard they nearly sent the chocolates flying.

"I'm sorry about today, it didn't quite go as I had planned." Becker apologised. "But you did get a box of chocolates out of it, and a movie… Plus I don't think Matt will be bothering us anymore." He chuckled.

"That's just you isn't it? Plain, old Becker. Ever the optimist." She joked.

"Hey! Less of the old! But, yeah that's me, Mr Brightside!"

Becker kissed the top of her head, which made her smile. She reached up to his cheek and kissed him softly on the lips. He reached round and placed his hand on the back of her neck. He traced her lips with his own and pushed against them. He felt a rush go through his body that made him want to hold on, forever. He pushed his lips harder, which made Tori groan and pull away. Becker froze.

"I, I'm sorry!" He pleaded. "I didn't mean to…" Tori put her finger to his lip and kissed him again. It was soft and warm, and it comforted him hugely. He responded again, but softer and much gentler. After a solid minute, they broke away from lack of breathing. Becker lowered Tori's head onto his lap and began stroking her hair. They abandoned the movie and sat on the sofa together for an hour, before Tori fell asleep on him. He carefully put one arm under her knees and the other under her head and carried her upstairs to the bedroom. He placed her in the middle of the bed and lay next to her with his arm across his stomach. He interlocked his fingers into hers and fell asleep with her.

* * *

It was eight o'clock in the morning. The sun was casting a warm, orange glow through the small upstairs bedroom. Tori tore herself away from the sticky, sleeping Becker. Although it wasn't as hot as it had been, the body heat that he was emanating was still incredible. She left the room silently and crept downstairs to the kitchen to make breakfast. Half-an-hour, a tired, zombie-like Becker entered the living room. Tori thrusted a plate of toast and a chilled glass of orange juice into his hand.

"Wakey, wakey!" She chimed.

Becker half smiled through his tired face. "Isn't this kind of role-reversal?"

Tori kissed his cheek and ran upstairs to get dressed. Becker sat down on the black leather and flicked the news on. The news was covering the weather, showing a direct contrast between London and Scotland. London and the surrounding area had the hottest temperatures. The temperatures started to get cooler as they got further away from London. It finished by covering the small snow drifts that Scotland were experiencing. 'Maybe Connor is right.' Becker thought. 'Maybe it has got something to do with the anomalies…'


	13. Tidal Wave

**Chapter 13! Hope everyone is still enjoying it. Becker is not a paedophile though. He's just in love!**

Becker pulled on a pair of jeans and a white T-shirt. He then pulled a chequered shirt on over the top and left it open. He waited for Tori to finish getting dressed. When she finally appeared he put an arm up in front of her to stop her passing.

"How would you feel about going swimming this afternoon? My treat." He asked her. His typical boyish smile spread wide across his cheeks. Tori giggled at it helplessly.

"What?" His brow furrowed.

"Nothing. I'd love to come swimming with you." She smiled shyly.

"It's a date then." He confirmed.

* * *

Becker stopped off at 'Matalan's' to buy himself a pair of trunks and to buy Tori a swimsuit. She chose a brightly coloured red bikini set. She tried it on in the dressing rooms to check if it looked nice, but she wouldn't let Becker see it till they got to the swimming pool. Becker chose a pair of black and blue patterned swimming trunks. They made their way out the shop and drove for another ten minutes to the pool.

Becker was the first to be changed and in the pool. He swam four lengths before Tori came out. He was completely stunned. He stared at her flaming suit. 'She looks like an angel,' he thought. She grinned at him nervously before smoothly slipping into the shallow water. She swam over to meet Becker in the middle, and then she swam around him in a circle. He couldn't take her eyes off of her. He didn't notice the waves she made with her rubbish swimming.

"Do you like?" She asked him.

It took him a minute to register the words that came out of her mouth. "You look…beautiful." He told her.

She blushed and kicked off to the deep end of the pool, Becker close on her heels. They swam together, synchronised, for a good hour. They decided to have a competition to see who could splash the other the most. But they were soon interrupted…

An anomaly appeared in front of them. Everyone in the pool froze. Becker and Tori stared at each other for a moment, before he yelled to everyone in the pool.

"GET OUT NOW!" He shouted.

The people in the pool were so scared of Becker's ferocious voice that they jumped out immediately. He turned to Tori. "You, too." He told her calmly.

She put a hand out in front of him. "Wait." She approached the glittering, shattered mirror. She was almost swimming through it when she stopped. Some of the revolving fragments passed through her, lighting up her skin. Becker grabbed her arm.

"What do you think you're doing?" He could hear the fear in his voice.

"Trying to find out what's the other side of the anomaly." She answered him monotonously.

"Don't you dare go through!" He shouted at her.

She turned around to give him a cheeky smile. "I never said I would." She left Becker confused for a moment. She faced the anomaly again and gasped at something Becker couldn't see.

"What is it?" He became very concerned. What could she see that he couldn't?

"Take my hand." She held out her right hand to him. "See what I see."

Reluctantly he grasped her warm hand. He felt a surge of electricity pass through him, as he was brought into a whole new world…


	14. Apocalypse Please

**Chapter 14! Wow this is going on long. Hope you liked the last chapter!**

Becker felt himself be brought forward, almost completely into the anomaly. His surroundings changed from the calm reflection of the pool to black velvet. He was in nothingness. As far as he could see, everything was black. A crashing sound echoed behind him. A thunderstorm. Bolts of vibrant violet lightning flashed across in front of them. He took a sharp intake of breath. The pool was almost completely forgotten. He could feel the water rushing around his waist, but he couldn't see it or hear the nervous cries of the people at the poolside. The thunder and the lightning rolled in fast and closer to them. Tori released her hand, and Becker was brought back into reality. Tori pushed Becker towards the edge of the pool.

"We have to get out." Her voice was filled with urgency. "I figure if people and creatures can pass through the anomaly, maybe this lightning can too?"

Becker panicked. He looked around him. "Water."

Becker pounded out of the water and dragged Tori out after him. Just as her toes left the water, it lit up with violet light. Her eyes were wide after that narrow miss. Becker smacked backwards into the wall, breathing heavily, mesmerised by what he had just witnessed.

"What was that?" He asked Tori. But she was busy trying to calm down after almost being electrocuted.

"I-I." She tried to get the words in between gasps for air. "You know when I told you about calling the anomalies mirrors?" She breathed. "There was…another reason. When I look at one, I can see myself on the other side, without having to go through."

Becker stared at her open-mouthed. Before he could respond to what she had just told him, another bolt of lightning rolled through the anomaly, this time scorching the platform around the pool, almost touching the people near it. They both screamed and started shaking in fear. In the distance, they could hear Abby's familiar shouts. They had registered the anomaly and tracked it here. When they entered the pool room, they were surprised at the sight of an almost naked Becker shaking slightly in the far corner of the room, sat behind Tori, who was shaking violently.

"What are you guys doing here?" She asked them. She giggled at Becker's half-nudity, which made his cheeks flush bright pink. "What's the problem? Creature?"

Becker shook his head and pointed at the anomaly as a smaller bolt of violet passed through it again and set the pool ablaze. Abby stared at what she had just seen. She was utterly shocked. "Any idea what's on the other side?" She asked him cautiously. He nodded and she gawped at him. "Did you-?"

"NO!" He bellowed. "But, she…" He pointed to Tori. "She can see what's on the other side without going in."

Abby's eyebrows pulled together. Matt glared at them both.

"I thought you told me everything." He cocked his head to the side. "Obviously, we've got some more talking to do."


	15. To The End

**Last chapter! Thanks to everyone who reviewed, and a special thanks to Cooper101, for being brilliant! Sorry it's a bit long. But I hate rushed endings...**

The next month went by smoothly, before they knew it, spring was a day away, and Becker had his mind on other things…

He caught Abby in the corridor at the ARC. He grabbed her arm and pulled her into an office. She stared at him, bewildered.

"Ow! What do you want?" She asked him.

"Tomorrow is the 20th March." He told her vaguely.

"Yes. And?" She demanded.

"It's Tori's birthday."

"Oh. I get it. Surprise party, or something?" She asked him excitedly.

"Yeah, something like that. Just decorate the main centre of the ARC or something. Not too fancy though."

"Don't worry, I'm on it!" She chirped.

"Thanks Abby, you're a life-saver." He kissed her cheek and ran off to the armoury, before he was seen slacking.

* * *

In the early morning, Tori woke up to the searing bright orange rays of the sun blasting through the window, coating the room in a warm orange glow. She sat up to find the other half of the large double bed empty. She climbed down the stairs hurriedly. She was in an excitable mood as it was her sixteenth birthday, a new window of opportunity. Becker was waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs. He has a suspiciously, wide smile on his face. When she reached the bottom step, Becker pulled a long, velvet jewellery box and placed it in Tori's thin hands.

"Happy birthday!" He exclaimed.

She opened the box and revealed a shining, silver necklace. It glimmered under the sunlight. It was a thin chain with a purple, heart-shaped gem dangling from the bottom. It shone a million colours, like a kaleidoscope. Becker took each end and loosely fastened it around her neck. She ran her hand smoothly over the gem, before facing Becker.

"It's beautiful!"

"I glad you like it. I picked it out especially for you." He told her. "So, shall we have breakfast and set off for work?"

* * *

Abby greeted Becker and Tori at the front gate with a massive smile on her face.

"Happy birthday!" She shouted.

Both, Tori and Becker jumped up at Abby's loud voice.

"Can you keep it down?" Tori asked her, annoyed.

"Sorry." Abby apologised.

The anomaly alarm went off and Becker gave off a loud sigh. They ran into the centre of the ARC, where the lights were mysteriously turned off. Suddenly a loud chorus of "Happy Birthday! signalled for the lights to be turned on and the alarm to be turned off.

"OH MY GOD!" Tori shouted excitedly. "You guys did this all for me?"

She stared at the two large tables in front of her, one was covered in plates and dishes which were piled high with buffet food. The other was laden with lots of large, brightly coloured packages.

* * *

At home, Becker and Tori made their way upstairs to relax on the bed, after a long party at the office. Even Lester had gone all out on the occasion, and had hired a magician. However, he hadn't realised that Tori was too old for this kind of entertainment, so Lester was the only one who found it entertaining. Connor laughed through the whole show, but not because it was funny. It was because he came up with a better idea, which Becker had frowned upon severely.

"She's sixteen, for Christ's sake! She should have a stripper or something…Hey! Becker! Fancy a new job?" He joked.

Becker chased Connor down the hall, into the locker room, where Connor hid in the toilet until Becker ran away.

Tori opened the bedroom door and led Becker to the bed, where they both flopped down on top of the duvet. Becker put his arm around her and leant his head down next to hers.

"What were you saying about a new found freedom?" He asked her curiously.

"Oh. Well, I'm sixteen now. So, I'm old enough to play the lottery, drive a moped and…" She broke off.

"And the big one." Becker interjected.

Tori flushed bright pink. "Well, I am now seen as a young adult, and I have certain new responsibilities as one. So, perhaps it would be ok." She said flirtatiously.

Becker kissed her passionately, before they both disappeared underneath the covers.

* * *

After a long period of passion (and a lot of groaning) under the duvet, they both emerged, covering themselves with the duvet. Tori leant her head on Becker's shoulder.

"Will you stay with me?" She asked him.

He frowned at her. "Of course I will. Why wouldn't I?"

"To the end?"

"To the end." He repeated.


End file.
